1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to hitch mounted lifts and more particularly pertains to a new hitch mounted lift assembly for loading, transporting, and unloading wheelchairs and the like from a pickup truck, in particular.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of hitch mounted lifts is known in the prior art. More specifically, hitch mounted lifts heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,895; U.S. Pat. No. 4,813,842; U.S. Pat. No. 4,569,626; U.S. Pat. No. 6,082,958; U.S. Pat. No. 5,588,793; and U.S. Pat. No. Des. 440,728.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new hitch mounted lift assembly. The prior art includes lifts being mounted to hitch receivers and being raised and lowered relative to the ground surface.
The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new hitch mounted lift assembly which has many of the advantages of the hitch mounted lifts mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new hitch mounted lift assembly which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art hitch mounted lifts, either alone or in any combination thereof. The present invention includes a hitch receiver which is adapted to be securely mounted to a vehicle; and also includes a hitch assembly including a hitch member being removably and engageably received in the hitch receiver; and further includes a pivot support assembly including an elongate pivot support member being pivotally attached to the hitch member; and also includes a plurality of sleeves being spacedly attached to the elongate pivot support member; and further a platform support assembly including an elongate platform support member being pivotally received through the sleeves; and also includes a platform being securely attached to the platform support assembly. None of the prior art includes the combination of the elements of the present invention.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the hitch mounted lift assembly in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new hitch mounted lift assembly which has many of the advantages of the hitch mounted lifts mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new hitch mounted lift assembly which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art hitch mounted lifts, either alone or in any combination thereof.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new hitch mounted lift assembly for loading, transporting, and unloading wheelchairs and the like from a pickup truck, in particular.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new hitch mounted lift assembly that is easy and convenient to set up and use.
Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a new hitch mounted lift assembly that functions as an extension to the bed of the pickup truck to allow the carrying of additional objects not capable of being carried upon the bed of the pickup truck and also can be easily attached to a passenger vehicle.